Experiments carried out by a team of researchers working with the St. Andrews University in Scotland suggest that, all things considered, musicians have sharper minds than ordinary folks do.

The researchers explain that, after asking several volunteers to perform various mental tasks, they found that those who played a musical instrument on a fairly regular basis took less time to complete the tasks.

What's more, the increase in the speed at which they processed information was not associated with a loss in accuracy.

The researchers theorize that, in light of these findings, it might not be that far-fetched to argue that playing an instrument could help protect people against the mental decline commonly associated with old age.

“Musical activity cannot only immensely enrich our lives but the associated benefits for our physical and mental functioning could be even more far-reaching than proposed in our and previous research,” the specialist goes on to argue.